Earthwatch Fellowship for Teachers

Middle school teachers, grades 6-8, interested in investigating ocean sciences or climate change are invited to apply for the 2011 Earthwatch Educator Program sponsored by Earthwatch and Northrop Grumman. The program provides a fellowship for an innovative hands-on expedition, an inspiring experience that teachers can then share with classrooms.

Last year, Erin Moore, a teacher in Illinois, was selected to participate in Northrop Grumman Foundation's Weightless Flights of Discovery Program. As Erin reported on the Science Buddies' blog, the experience of the Zero-G flight was exhilarating and life-changing, from start to finish.

The following Earthwatch expeditions are planned for 2011:

• Coastal Ecology of the Bahamas

  6/27 - 7/8, 2011

  Be a part of a team supervised by Dr Kathleen Sullivan-Sealey as you explore the Bahamian archipelago, a unique ecosystem in the northeast Caribbean Sea.

• Climate Change at the Arctic's Edge
  6/19 - 6/29, 2011
  Exploring the carbon-rich peatlands in the Arctic tundra will bring issues related to global warming rushing to the surface. Teams working with Dr. Peter Kershaw will monitor ecosystem changes in response to global warming and investigate changes in the permafrost—and the risks related to the release of greenhouse gases if the permafrost thaws.
  

Middle School teachers (grades 6-8) from Northrop Grumman communities are eligible to apply for the program (except for educators who participated in the 2009 or 2010 Weightless Flights of Discovery program or the 2009 or 2010 Space Academy for Educators). The deadline for application is February 4, 2011.

For more information, or to fill out an application, visit the Northrop Grumman Earthwatch information page.